On Chess: Carlsen becoming the alpha male

Saturday

Nov 24, 2012 at 12:01 AMNov 24, 2012 at 12:29 PM

It must be a lot of fun to be Magnus Carlsen of Norway. At 22, he is the highest-rated grandmaster in the world - a status he first achieved in 2010 at the age of 19 years, 32 days. No one has accomplished that honor at a younger age.

It must be a lot of fun to be Magnus Carlsen of Norway.

At 22, he is the highest-rated grandmaster in the world — a status he first achieved in 2010 at the age of 19 years, 32 days.

No one has accomplished that honor at a younger age.

The closest to Carlsen is former champion Garry Kasparov, who first topped the World Chess Federation rating list in 1984 at 20 years, 263 days.

Carlsen not only is No. 1 but he is already leaving in his wake a large number of exceptional talents, including the current world champion, Viswanathan Anand, and former champion Vladimir Kramnik — both chess geniuses by ordinary measures

With a World Chess Federation rating of 2843, Carlsen is increasingly broadening the gap between himself and the two older stars (Kramnik is presently rated at 2795; Anand, 2775).

Because chess players’ skills tend to max out during their mid-30s, the ratings gap will almost certainly grow. Anand is 42; Kramnik, 37. Carlsen’s precociousness partly reflects the likelihood that, with the aid of computer technology, he has surveyed many thousands of games more than Kasparov, Anand and Kramnik had at the same age.

Only youthful players such as fifth-ranked Fabiano Caruana, who is 22, are likely to challenge him.

Shelby Lyman is a Basic Chess Features columnist.

Beginner’s corner

Hint & explanation:

Force checkmate.

Solution to Beginner’s corner:

1. Ng3! (threatens 2. Rg2 mate). If 2. Rxg3, Re1 mate.

How the masters play

Below is a win by Daniele Vocaturo against Ivan Popov from the Chigorin Memorial Rapid tournament in St. Petersburg, Russia.